1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an image recording apparatus provided with a plurality of recording heads and, more particularly, to an image recording apparatus which can record character data such as the date and a like in the blank portion other than an image recording region of a recording medium while recording the image in the image recording region of the recording medium.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Generally, in conventional image recording apparatus for recording characters, graphic images and the like, as shown in FIG. 1, a carriage 12, in which a plurality of recording heads 11-1 to 11-n are horizontally arranged, is scanned in the horizontal direction as indicated by an arrow b relative to a recording medium 13, and after recording one line, the recording medium 13 is moved in the direction of an arrow a, thereby recording image information.
Character data such as the date and the like can be recorded in a blank portion 15 other than an image recording region 14 of the recording medium 13 by use of such a conventional image recording apparatus. However, after the image is recorded in the image recording region 14 of the recording medium 13, the scanning operation to record the character data such as the date and the like in the blank portion 15 is separately executed. For example, in the case of recording character data in a blank portion 15', upon completion of recording of image information, the recording heads 11 are scanned a few times in the direction of the arrow b, thereby recording the character data. Due to this, the recording time may become long since, in addition to the time for recording image data in the image recording region 14 of the recording medium 13, it further takes time to record the character data such as the date and the like.
As another technology to record character data such as the date and the like using the foregoing conventional technology, there is a method whereby the character data such as the date and the like is superimposed into the image recorded. However, according to this technology, the artistic sense of the image recorded is lost and it is difficult to read the recorded character data such as the date and the like because its legibility depends upon the contrast relation between the color of the image recorded and the color of the recorded character data such as the date and the like.